The Panther
Registered User
I love the Oilers, as everyone knows, and also the Canadiens, in the mid-to-late-1980s. They were really the two most entertaining teams to watch, I think, and I wish we had seen them play one another more often than the three times per year they did (the 1981 playoff series, which was well before my time, not withstanding). The 1986 Finals was a missed opportunity -- young Roy and the Habs made it through, but that's the one year Edmonton crapped out.
The Habs were the best defensive team in the NHL during the 1980s, with numbers that wouldn't be out of place in today's NHL. (For example, the '89 and '82 Habs allowed the same number of goals-against as the average NHL team last season.)
The Oilers, of course, were an offensive dynamo with the game's greatest-ever offensive player and a rover to boot (Coffey), often trading chances with the opposition, knowing they'd usually come out on top.
Anyway, "Oilerfanatic" on YouTube recently updated posts of highlights of the games, below, and they're quite entertaining to look back on.
Jan. 10 1985: Edmonton 5 @ Montreal 2 (Québec broadcast):
-- Montreal had a middling season in 1984-85, and their defense looks really porous in this one (yeah, including Chelios) -- esp. at 9:45
-- Steve Penney lets in 5 of 24 shots!
-- Chris Nilan two fights, incl. vs. Semenko
-- Amazing Gretzky slapshot at 5:39
Feb. 27th 1985: Montreal 4 @ Edmonton 1 (Edmonton broadcast):
-- Great defensive game by the Habs! (Chelios +3) Doug Soetaert looks great.
-- veteran Bob Gainey scores twice
-- despite setting up Gretzky's goal, Paul Coffey looks really bad in this one, gambling poorly
Nov. 20th 1985: Edmonton 5 @ Montreal 4 (OT) (Québec broadcast):
-- Steve Smith scores the first goal of his career on a pass from Wayne at 4:30 (Smith's season wouldn't end quite so happily in game 7 against Calgary...)
-- Ex-Hab Mark Napier with a beauty at 5:40.
-- Montreal scores three in a row in the second to take over the lead -- Tremblay, Naslund, Nilan
-- Wayne cool as a cucumber after tying it (at 9:35)
-- Steve Penney (who was on his way out) craps the bed in overtime vs. Messier
Jan. 11th 1986: Edmonton 6 @ Montreal 3 (Hockey Night in Canada broadcast)
-- Here we really start to see the future Montreal stars in action: Roy, Richer, Lemieux
-- Coffey scores twice, Oilers with 4 in a row in the second, leading to young Patrick Roy getting pulled
-- Kjell Dahlin (in his one great season) with humorous giveaway to Gretzky late in the third (at 12:20)
Oct. 11th, 1986: Edmonton 5 @ Montreal 4 (OT) (Hockey Night in Canada broadcast)
-- 2nd game of the new season, and second loss in a row, for Montreal (Oilers had also lost their first game)
-- Gretzky 2 goals (in the second period) and 2 assists -- Patrick Roy in net again
-- good effort by Montreal in the third to tie it, with unlikely scorers Mike McPhee and Sergio Momesso
-- Kurri wins it in overtime (brutal play by Nilan to let Gretzky get away), but what a cheap-shot by (of all people) Mats Naslund on Kurri after he scores!
This being an Oiler-fans' feed, the scores shown favor Edmonton, but in fact the Oilers did not do particularly well against Montreal in the 80s. From the season the Oilers became "good" (1981-82) until the end of the Gretzky-era, the Oilers went 11-8-2 against Montreal.
Anyway, I love these two teams in this era. What a crapper that they didn't meet in the playoffs in this period! (In fact, since 1981, they've never met again. Thanks, NHL!) Fun times.
The Habs were the best defensive team in the NHL during the 1980s, with numbers that wouldn't be out of place in today's NHL. (For example, the '89 and '82 Habs allowed the same number of goals-against as the average NHL team last season.)
The Oilers, of course, were an offensive dynamo with the game's greatest-ever offensive player and a rover to boot (Coffey), often trading chances with the opposition, knowing they'd usually come out on top.
Anyway, "Oilerfanatic" on YouTube recently updated posts of highlights of the games, below, and they're quite entertaining to look back on.
Jan. 10 1985: Edmonton 5 @ Montreal 2 (Québec broadcast):
-- Montreal had a middling season in 1984-85, and their defense looks really porous in this one (yeah, including Chelios) -- esp. at 9:45
-- Steve Penney lets in 5 of 24 shots!
-- Chris Nilan two fights, incl. vs. Semenko
-- Amazing Gretzky slapshot at 5:39
Feb. 27th 1985: Montreal 4 @ Edmonton 1 (Edmonton broadcast):
-- Great defensive game by the Habs! (Chelios +3) Doug Soetaert looks great.
-- veteran Bob Gainey scores twice
-- despite setting up Gretzky's goal, Paul Coffey looks really bad in this one, gambling poorly
Nov. 20th 1985: Edmonton 5 @ Montreal 4 (OT) (Québec broadcast):
-- Steve Smith scores the first goal of his career on a pass from Wayne at 4:30 (Smith's season wouldn't end quite so happily in game 7 against Calgary...)
-- Ex-Hab Mark Napier with a beauty at 5:40.
-- Montreal scores three in a row in the second to take over the lead -- Tremblay, Naslund, Nilan
-- Wayne cool as a cucumber after tying it (at 9:35)
-- Steve Penney (who was on his way out) craps the bed in overtime vs. Messier
Jan. 11th 1986: Edmonton 6 @ Montreal 3 (Hockey Night in Canada broadcast)
-- Here we really start to see the future Montreal stars in action: Roy, Richer, Lemieux
-- Coffey scores twice, Oilers with 4 in a row in the second, leading to young Patrick Roy getting pulled
-- Kjell Dahlin (in his one great season) with humorous giveaway to Gretzky late in the third (at 12:20)
Oct. 11th, 1986: Edmonton 5 @ Montreal 4 (OT) (Hockey Night in Canada broadcast)
-- 2nd game of the new season, and second loss in a row, for Montreal (Oilers had also lost their first game)
-- Gretzky 2 goals (in the second period) and 2 assists -- Patrick Roy in net again
-- good effort by Montreal in the third to tie it, with unlikely scorers Mike McPhee and Sergio Momesso
-- Kurri wins it in overtime (brutal play by Nilan to let Gretzky get away), but what a cheap-shot by (of all people) Mats Naslund on Kurri after he scores!
This being an Oiler-fans' feed, the scores shown favor Edmonton, but in fact the Oilers did not do particularly well against Montreal in the 80s. From the season the Oilers became "good" (1981-82) until the end of the Gretzky-era, the Oilers went 11-8-2 against Montreal.
Anyway, I love these two teams in this era. What a crapper that they didn't meet in the playoffs in this period! (In fact, since 1981, they've never met again. Thanks, NHL!) Fun times.
